U.S. Department of Education announced February 2024 Webinar Series

February 14, 2024

Per Better FAFSA Flyer, the sessions are geared toward students and families as well as college access professionals. The webinars will focus on the form and process for the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Registration Link

Federal Student Aid FAFSA for 2024-25 is Live, but due to the challenges brought on by the new FAFSA, $50 million in funding and a concierge service is being implemented to help support colleges having trouble processing financial aid funds.
Liam Knox and Katherine Knott of Inside Higher Ed write, "Financial aid experts and advisers will also be dispatched to “under-resourced campuses,” with a special focus on minority-serving institutions. A senior department official said all historically Black and tribal colleges will have the opportunity to get direct support from the agency. 

Such colleges have been affected more acutely by the FAFSA delays than those that have fewer Pell-eligible students or larger financial aid offices and robust technical resources."

 

Federal Student Aid FAFSA for 2024-25 is now Live!
It's finally here, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the 2024-25 FAFSA, or Better FAFSA, is Live! Go to Fafsa.gov to access the form and students and families can also visit StudentAid.gov/fillingout for help to complete the form, and instructions in the event not all the required information is available.

 

NASFAA Urges FSA to Engage With the Higher Ed Community on Pending FAFSA Changes

NASFAA last week joined several higher education organizations in a letter calling on Federal Student Aid (FSA) to urgently consider what steps need to be taken to ensure that a FAFSA applicant is able to complete the 2024-25 form with ease.

The letter comes on the heels of FSA’s announcement that the 2024-25 FAFSA will go live by December 31, 2023, but that the department will not begin processing FAFSA forms submitted online until January 2024. Further, institutions will begin receiving Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) by the end of January 2024.

The letter recognizes the hard work FSA has done to begin to implement, and to communicate its FAFSA roadmap with stakeholders, but went on to underscore concerns over how the shortened timeline for the application will impact families and students. Signatories urged the department to provide greater clarity about how the changes being enacted will impact the aid processes that follow an applicant completing the form.

“The more information that can be shared regarding the implementation and timeline of the new FAFSA and associated processing systems, the more prepared the higher education community can be to ensure the best experience for students enrolling in and persisting through postsecondary education,” the letter reads.

Specifically, the letter calls on FSA to fully engage the higher education community and to work directly with experts in the field to identify any possible problem areas in the application process, and to develop approaches that would minimize any negative impacts on students, institutions, and states.

“We ask that ED’s communications to applicants clearly explain that while their applications have been received, they have not been processed by the Department of Education; what that means in terms of their institutions’ ability to determine their eligibility; and any recommended steps students might take to work with their institutions,” the letter reads.

The letter also requested that FSA explore how they can reduce burdens for institutions that would allow schools to focus their efforts on processing FAFSAs and packaging students under these truncated time frames.

 
NASFAA Statement on 2024-25 FAFSA Launch Date, Processing Delays

The Department of Education today announced that the newly overhauled 2024-25 Free Application for Fedaral Student Aid, or FAFSA will be open to students and families by December 31, 2023, nearly three months later than usual, following a previous one-year delay in implementation. While this delay is unfortunate, schools have had time to plan for it, since the Department announced this delay last February.

Unexpectedly, institutions are just learning today that the delivery of applicant information from the FAFSA will be delayed possibly until the end of January, slowing the delivery of financial aid offeres to some students even further, and making this already difficult enrollment year even more fraught with challenges.

Nestucca Valley School District was awarded $1M from the Workforce Ready Grant through Future Ready Oregon

These funds will help build a new K-14 continuum surrounding Career-Technical Education tailored to support English language learners and low-income students. These K-14 students will have a smooth path to higher education through TBCC after graduation, allowing them to earn sustainable family wages.

Text Support Available For Your Students

The College Place Oregon is here to help students; and we're especially happy to meet students where they are. For the past several years, we've been offering text-based support to students across Oregon. If you'd like your students to get a little "nudge" to keep them on track, please encourage them to sign up at: 

https://bit.ly/ECMCTCP

We'll make sure they get the information they need when they need it, and our support and advice is just a text message away if they have questions. It's never too early or too late to sign up!

 

Statewide Paying for College Webinars

Paying for College webinars are in October this year due to the delayed opening of the FAFSA and ORSAA. Please help us get the word out- our flyer is attached.

 

Tuesday, October 24th at 6:30 pm (in English) register at: https://bit.ly/PFCE2023




Thursday, October 26th at 6:30 pm (in Spanish) register at: https://bit.ly/PFCP2023

 

Participants will be able to use the Q & A function to ask anonymous personal questions, which will be answered by some of Oregon's financial aid administrators. Questions may be asked anonymously, as we want families to feel comfortable asking those hard questions!



Register to host your own ECMC College Night Event

ECMC provides:

•    $1,000 scholarship to award live at your event to a high school student in attendance (eligible for the first 120 registered events hosted by high schools or postsecondary institutions)

•    PowerPoint presentation in English and Spanish (includes complete speaker’s notes – only available in English) along with video recordings of the presentation

•    ECMC’s Opportunities booklets

•    Site host guide (includes everything you need to know to host an event)

•    Train-the-trainer webinar

•    Customizable marketing materials available for download

•    Presentation guides and sign-in sheet




Sign up today at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023-2024ECNsignup

 

Register Now for College Application Week

Our friends over at Oregon Goes to College are "gearing up" for College Application Week- an opportunity to help students complete their applications and celebrate their accomplishments. Sign up to host events in your building that help your students complete the key steps to apply, pay and go to college. Register now to receive free support for this fantastic series of events:

https://oregongoestocollege.org/events


FAFSA/ORSAA Changes

Bite sized videos from the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) and a webinar recording from the US Department of Education are now available on the Oregon Goes To College website. Be sure to check out all of the resources we've been curating for you at 

https://oregongoestocollege.org/fafsa-orsaa

Save the Date!

On December 13th, we'll be teaming up with Oregon Goes to College, Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and The Ford Family Foundation (hopefully with guest speakers from the Office of Student Access and Completion) to bring you a webinar with what you need to know when FAFSA and ORSAA open (in "December").


ASPIRE Fall Conference

This year ASPIRE will be hosting three events around the state. All three events will run from 9 am-4 pm with doors opening at 8 am. This year the conferences (which will have the same content) will be:

  • September 29th at University of Portland
  • October 6th at OSU Cascades in Bend
  • October 13th at Southern Oregon University in Ashland

Even if you are not an ASPIRE site, you are still invited to attend. You can learn more and register at this link: